Link construction for a crystal pendant

ABSTRACT

THE NOVEL LINKS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION PROVIDE A DECORATIVE FACE ON EACH SIDE OF THE LINK. EACH LINK COMPRISES A PAIR OF IDENTICAL ELONGATED DECORATIVE MEMBERS CONNECTED ACROSS THE MIDDLE. FROM THE MIDDLE OUTWARDLY TOWARD EACH END, THE MEMBERS DIVERGE IN A V-SHAPE, EACH END BEING PROVIDED WITH AN INTEGRAL TAB BENT ANGULARLY INWARDLY SO THAT AT EACH END A PAIR OF TABS EXTEND TOWARD EACH OTHER. EACH CRYSTAL, GLASS OR PLASTIC, IS PROVIDED WITH APPOSED OPENINGS. THE TABS AT EACH   END OF THE LINK ARE BENT INWARDLY UNTIL THEY ENTER THE CRYSTAL OPENING FROM EACH SIDE INTO ABUTTING OR OVERLAPPING RELATION. THE MEMBERS ARE PREFERABLY NARROWER AT THE MIDDLE OR WAIST AT THE POINT OF CONNECTION. THE PREFERRED FORM IS FOR AN INTEGRAL CONNECTION BY USING INTEGRAL STRIPS BETWEEN THE MEMBERS. HOWEVER, THE CONNECTION MAY BE BY A RIVET, WELD, CLAMP, OR ANY OTHER SUITABLE MEANS.

United States Patent [191 Burckhardt 1 June 28, 1974 1 LINK CONSTRUCTION FOR A CRYSTAL PENDANT [75] Inventor: Carl Burckhardt, Wallisellen/ZH,

211 Appl. No.: 347,223

[52] US. Cl. 24/87 R, 240/153 [51] Int. Cl F2lv 5/06, A440 11/00, A44b 9/00 [58] Field of Search 240/78 CF, 153, 76; 63/4, 63/13, 23, 2; 24/81 AE, 81 AD, 81 D, 81

DM, 81 AF, 90 HA, 87 R 3,629,571 12/1971 Schonbek 240/153 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 2471950, 5/1949, Gotti et al., 59-80.

Primary Examiner-Donald A. Griffin Attorney, Agent, or FirmBen Cohen [5 7 ABSTRACT The novel links of the present invention provide a decorative face on each side of the link. Each link comprises a pair of identical elongated decorative members connected across the middle. From the middle outwardly toward each end, the members diverge in.a V-shape, each end being provided with an integral tab bent angularly inwardly so that at each end a pair of tabs extend toward each other. Each crystal, glass or plastic, is provided with apposed openings. The tabs at each end of the link are bent inwardly until they enter the crystal opening from each side into abutting or overlapping relation. The members are preferably narrower at the middle or waist at the point of connection. The preferred form is for an integral connection by using integral strips between the members. However, the connection may be by a rivet, weld, clamp, or any other suitable means.

3 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUHZE! mm 3820.201

SHEEI 1 BF 2 FIG '4 LINK CONSTRUCTION FOR A CRYSTAL PENDANT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION tagonal crystal being shown herein. Each crystal has apposed openings and links are inserted between pairs of crystals to form the pendant. The crystals can be connected with ordinary wire loop links which are not decorative. They can be connected with C-shaped links of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,571, issued Dec. 21, 197 I. This type of link has a decorative front but no rear. Also, all the weight is on one side and the cumulative weight of the pendant may bend the links. An excellent form of link for this purpose provides a pair of decorative V-shaped members with opposed tabs at the free ends. Each members tabs are pressed into a crystal opening from each side and the narrow ends of each pair of V-shaped members are connected by a small wire loop link. This construction provides an effective and decorative link designed to grip the crystals without damaging pressure. However, such a construction requires three separate members and a multiple assembly operation. This is in addition to the assembly operation with the crystals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a construction which adopts the best features of the V-shaped link construction, but elminates the separate connecting wire loop and its attendant assembly problems. In the present construction, a pair of identical link members are positioned in superimposed relation, each presenting a decorative face to the outside. The members taper toward a narrow middle portion or waist and are locked to each other at this point. From the middle outwardly, the members are spread into V-shapes to form a pair of V's connected at their points. At the outer ends, each member is provided with an integral tab bent inwardly toward the tab on the other end in a jaw construction. Each crystal is provided with apposed openings and each pair of tabs is bent into one of the openings, one from each side, so that the tabs abut or even overlap within the crystal opening. This locks each end of the link to a crystal. The construction is based on the connection at the waist, and in the preferred form, this may be integral with the members. An integral strip of material may connect each pair of members which are then bent into the superimposed position. However, the connection may be made by a rivet, a separate band of material, by spot welding, or any other suitable means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a crystal pendant with the links of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the pendant shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the links prior to assembly with the crystals;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the blank for forming the link shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view with the crystals in section showing the link attached to the crystals;

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 on FIG. 5; and

FIGS. 7 to 13, inclusive, are similar to FIG. 6 showing various alternative forms of connecting the link members.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring more in detail to the drawings, the links of the present invention are designed for use with any shape of crystal, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrating their use with octagonal shaped crystals. These figures show a plurality of crystals 10 connected by the links 12. Each link 12 comprises a pair of link members 14 and 16 connected at the center at 18. The visible outer faces of the members 14 and 16 may be decorative, see FIG. 2. At their outer ends, each member is provided with an integral tab 20 and 22 adapted to enter the opening 24 in the crystal, FIGS. 1 and 5, to lock the link 12 to the crystals 10.

It is preferred that the connecting portion 18 between the members 14 and l6'be formed integrally with the members as shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the link 12 is formed by first stamping a flat blank of metal with the portions 14 and 16 in side by side relation and connected integrally at the middle by a strip 26. The link members 14 and 16 should taper to a narrow middle or waist portion with the integral strip 26 located at the narrow portion. At the outside edge, the members 14 and 16 are provided with integral strip portions 28 and 30 extending outwardly in alignment with the strip 26. At each end the member 14 is provided with an integral tab 20 and the member 16 with an integral tab 22.

The blank shown in FIG. 4 is now folded along the dotted lines in the strips 26, 28 and 30 so that the members l4 and 16 now face each other, FIG. 3, the tabs 20 and 22 are bent toward each other, and the strips 26, 28 and 30 form a band 18 extending around the middle. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the strip portion 30 is longer than the strip portion 28. This will cause the portion 30 to overlap the portion 28, FIG. 6. Furthermore, while the tabs 20 and 22 are shown in abutting relation, FIG. 5, they can be made longer to overlap in the crystal openings 24.

The assembly is simple. The completed links 12 are bent inwardly at each end so that the tabs enter a crystal opening 24 from each side. This reduces any chance of chipping or breaking the crystal and forms a firm grip for the link. The finished pendant is decorative from any side, the links being the same from either side. The construction is thus easy to manufacture and assemble.

In FIG. 7, the construction is identical to that in FIG. 6 except that the strips 28 and 30 are of the same length so that theyabut each other rather than overlap.

In the form shown in FIG. 8 the two link members 32 and 34 are separate and unconnected by any strips. They are merely superimposed one over the other with central aligned openings through which a rivet 36 is passed to lock the parts together. FIG. 9 also shows the use of a rivet. However, in this form, the member 38 is provided with the opening and the member 40 is provided with an extruded integral rivet 42 which is passed through the opening to lock the members together.

In FIG. the linkmembers are also separated. However, the member 44 is provided with short strips 46 at each side bent upwardly and the member 48 is provided with longer strips 50 bent downwardly and wrapped around the strips 46 to lock the members together. FlG. 11 shows a similar construction except that instead of the integral strips, the link members 52 and 54 are locked to each other by a separate band of metal 56 wrapped around the middle narrow portion of the members.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate the use of welding to lock the link members to each other in the middle. In FIG. 12 the metal members 58 and 60 are spot welded to each other at 62. In FIG. 13 the members 64 and 66 are of plastic material and are heat sealed or sonically welded along the seam 68.

All of the above constructions thus provide a link for a crystal pendant in which each link comprises a pair of identical members with decorative outer faces and connected to each other at the narrow middle portions. The links are initially bent in a V-shape extending out from the middle toward each end with integral tabs at the ends facing each other. This permits easy and rapid assembly with the crystals. The rigidity of the pendant can be varied by varying the pressure on the link assembly. If the links are bent into the crystal openings loosely, the crystals will swing laterally. If the links are firmly and rigidly pressed into the crystal openings, the

crystals will be held rigidly.

The links of the present invention minimize any strain on the crystals because of the equalizing grip from both sides. Furthermore, where the pendant is long, the weight is uniformly distributed, a condition not present in a C-shaped link. Another advantage over the C-shaped link is the absence of a front and rear. The link of the present invention presents the same face from either side, both sides being ornamented. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A link for a crystal pendant having a plurality of crystals each with opposed link openings, said links connecting adjacent crystals, comprising a pair of link members in back to back relation, each of said members having an ornamental outer face to provide said link with an ornamental face on each side, said members being integrally joined at their middle portions, said members bending away from each other from the middle portions outwardly toward the ends to form a double V-shape, and means at each end of said members for attaching said links to a crystal opening, said members being rigid and non-resilient, whereby said means will remain in attached position in the crystal openings after said link ends have been bent into the openings.

2. A link as in claim 1, wherein said attaching means comprises an integral tab extending from the end of each of said members, said tabs extending toward each other at each end to extend into the crystal opening from each side to link the crystals to each other.

3. A crystal chandelier having a plurality of lengths of crystals connected by links between each pair of crystals, said lengths comprising a plurality of crystals each having an opening adjacent the edge on opposite sides thereof, and links between each pair of crystals, each link comprising a pair of link members in back to back relation, each of said members having an ornamental outer face to provide said links with an ornamental face on each side, said members being integrally joined at their middle'portions, said members bending away fromeach other from the middle portions outwardly toward the ends to form a double V-shape, and an integral tab extending from each end toward each other, said members being rigid and non-resilient, whereby said tabs will remain in attached position after said members have been bent to move said tabs into said crystal openings. 

